ITVS Set to Air Documentary Campaign about Women and Leadership
Posted on Sat, Sep 24, 2011 @ 01:54 PM
A few months ago the Independent Television Series (ITVS) announced that they will soon be showcasing over 50 different documentaries about women and leadership over the next three years on programs like Independent Lens, PBS, POV and FRONTLINE.
The sole purpose behind the campaign, (titled Women and Girls Lead), is said to help illustrate the importance of gender equality in the workplace as well as how women can secure a more secure place in society.
The campaign is supported by various different global organizations like the Girl Scouts, World Vision, Futures Without Violence and CARE, and some of the many important individuals who will help chair the advisory board for the campaign include PBS President Paula Kerga, Founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure Nancy G. Brinker, actress Geena David, filmmaker Abigail Disney, actress America Ferrera, host of Latino USA Maria Hinojosa, CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Norah O’Donnell and many more.
Some of the many documentaries which are set to be included in the campaign include Kind-Hearted Woman, a film which depicts a Sioux woman helping abused females in a North Dakota community, Women, War & Peace, a ground-breaking miniseries which highlights how women
have evolved since the Cold War, and Half the Sky, a documentary which covers various controversial topics like sex trafficking, forced prostitution and gender-based violence.
The majority of documentaries tend to focus on international women’s issues, such as Wham! Bam! Islam!, (a story about a Kuwaiti psychologist who started a comic series about superheroes based on the 99 virtues of Allah), Bhutto (a biography about Benazir Bhutto), and Mrs. Goundo’s Daughter (a documentary about a woman who is trying to protect her daughter from female genital cutting in Mali).
There are also several documentaries which focus on societal issues in America as well, such as God Willing (the story of the American religious cult known as “The Church”), and Southern Belle (a documentary about the 1861 Athenaeum Girls’ School).
ITVS was created in the hopes of bringing more attention to diversity in public television and hopefully spark public dialogue and give a voice to underserved communities. The sole purpose of ITVS is said to help highlight societal values in television and social media like freedom of expression, economic and social justice, and allowing citizens to express their opinions and tell their stories to others.
ITVS also announced that the documentary campaign is a “call to action” which will hopefully “save lives [and] help women and girls everywhere to realize their potential.”
Bio:
Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and recent graduate of Elon University. She is currently a resident blogger at an online classes resource site, where recently she’s been researching different online religion degrees and blogging about student life. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.